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The Examination in Public started on Tuesday 2nd June 2015. The next stage is a procedural meeting on 16th July 2015.

The council has accepted that the submission Local Plan is unsound and has moved to a new position. The Inspector has given all EiP participants the opportunity to comment on the council’s new position.

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You have given us the news on the SHMA Review ie confirmation that Arun’s housing figures in their Draft Local Plan are agreed by the Consultants,so it looks like these will go through at the next Local Plan Sub Committee meeting and that the fudged Resolution
for a lower number for 6 years followed by the higher number will be dropped.

However,it is true to say that this number is the “unconstrained” figure without consideration of sustainability factors,infrastructure,available facilities etc.
The supporting Sustainability Assessment is completely inadequate and flawed in so many ways.
The Strategic sites under consideration need to be properly evaluated in terms of the above
before the plan can be accepted.
How will the Duty to co operate with other Local Councils affect the situation ?

It is interesting that the Consultant has admitted that most of the housing will be taken up by people from outside Arun and where are the new jobs for thousands of new residents ?

from the horses mouth ,reduce the demand for housing by ending EU open door immigration. prioritise and provide incentives to reuse local empty homes, direct new housing and business developments to brown field site and protect the green belt,protect communities by giving a right to referenda and removing developers ` right to appeal against local planning decisions. we need to stop the nonsence from ADC by voting them out and listen to local people who have to live with the aftermath of bad housing and silly road schemes,the demand in the villages is 39 houses they have now been built ,we need to stand and fight now vote ukip in May

Can someone tell me why the council planning and consultants conclude that the A29 road noise will be louder at one point on the earth and quieter at another point on the earth 2 or 3 miles away – is it new physics that they have invented?

I support all I don’t think we need just all new houses and supermarkets so support all with what exists in arun but please just comments about dog walking and what some posters think people in social housing are comes across as not in my back yard I would suggest unless these people stop just considering there needs and not I can’t afford to live in aldingbourne and work with us people who do care about arun and the future then they stop commenting on there little whims and start being proactive I can comment I have worked what happened to me has given a good in sight to life and whilst I understand that not all people work to build for our children and grandchildren all this bantering about dog walking and social housing I suspect these comments are normally said by some who just wanted to live by the seaside and not intended for the good of the future of arun but exist only to vent there own opinions and nothing to do with consultations on what the people of arun want

I totally object to the above comments Emma made in regard to social housing is she taring everybody the same I support working hard I did for 29years until I awoke with no legs my long term partner at the time cared for me at the cost of losing what we had worked for at the system that exists I was then put in social housing that was not suitable for my needs I have found my neighbor who is in the category that she wouldn’t want next door if it wasn’t for him I have been traped for 12months unable to get out independently I can only hope that this lady never has to endure something going wrong in her life this country doesn’t need the likes of this your attitude is appalling and not how I would have expected my life to end up considering I did what she thinks all should do may I also point out I did this and raised my family on a heart only beating at 40half normal I would suggest this lady starts opening her eyes instead of taring us all thank you

Traffic already causes huge problems, schools are full to bursting, doctors, dentists too are full to capacity and yet there is a need for more housing?? Where are these householders planning to gain employment, send their children to school etc.

It will all come at the cost of local people who have through generations contributed lots to the local villages. We do not want anymore houses in our area ruining our countryside! Already traffic in the village is outrageous and often we are in a line of traffic from the lights to past garage. Say NO to this ridiculous suggestion.

It seems to me that being blind to the obvious is a trait council planners need to have to maintain their roles.
Traffic already causes huge problems, schools are full to bursting, doctors, dentists to are full to capacity and yet there is a need for more housing?? Where are these householders planning to gain employment, send their children to school etc.
It will all come at the cost of local people who have through generations contributed lots to the local villages.
Development comes at a price i have recently been flooded due to the site 6 development but no one cares.
I wish they would just leave the countryside alone, its beauty can never be replaced and once destroyed it is lost forever. We seem intent on destroying our villages identities in the name of expansion what will become of them then?
Anyone voting for this development should hang their heads in shame as they are going to be responsible for ruining not only existing villagers lives but future generations.
A final point that i feel needs to be made is the constant use of the term ‘ social housing ‘ dress it up as much as you want but lets be honest no one wants that near them and i dont blame them. When you work hard and make sacrifices to pay for your mortgage it is a bitter pill to swallow when new housing is provided for those that don t. I could work a life time and never afford a house in Aldingbourne but maybe it worth meeting the criteria for social housing and then i may well be able to……

August 17th I agree that often the queues of the traffic are down to the Labour in Vain and beyond I have known it to reach to the memorial. I live near the BASMATI off the Nyton road and often cannot get into my property as the traffic IS EXTENSIVE. I have lived in the village for 25 years. I agree that traffic, volume of cars, schools, doctors will be unable to cope. The bus service is not wonderful will that increase or will everyone go by car!!! Do not destroy our village. My grandparents lived in the villages many years ago and i used to visit and I can remember how rural the area was. We choose to live in a village to enjoy peace and quiet.!!! What a joke!!

I quite agree with you Patricia it is getting worse & worse..We moved to Aldinbourne in 1994, And the place was loverly & quiet then .We could safely drive to the schools & to the doctors surgery.Now it is hell on earth.Every where you go there is a traffic jam.We dont need any more development .What we need is more help for the the locals already here.Also more help for the young getting work .

I have lived in Eastergate for over 17 years now & have witnessed the massive changes that are occuring on a daily basis…I am not originally from this country but am from a small farming background in the west of Ireland who has already seen massive changes occure to the detriment of the community of my own countryside….the same is happening here in Eastergate…it will be such a shame to loose the country feel of these villages…if planning is given then you can kiss goodbye to country style life & say hello to urban sprawl with all the problems that go hand in hand…take a stand…say no to all this development….say no before it is too late!

For me and lots of my lovely friends I meet over the field there will be no place for our dogs to walk. We need some green space to exercise our dogs and not just a dog park like the kind they have in America. So many of us use that field for that purpose but also it is a beautiful peaceful part of the village. Dogs just like humans need a place where they can run and let off steam and basically be dogs, not just looking pretty on leads. Being cooped up leads to frustration and aggression and aggressive dogs are dangerous dogs and who wants their children or grandchildren injured and killed thus causing trauma and heartbreak and plus however much cost to the NHS so to me and everyone else who uses the field over the road please let us have it, that is all we ask.

Now to the more practical aspect, if all these houses are going to be built ask yourselves the question you greedy property developers, are you going to provide us with more schools to cope with the extra population of kids living here unless the houses are intended all to be retirement homes? Everyone seems to want their kids to go to Aldingbourne Primary School even if they do not live in Aldingbourne! How about if you have moved here and living extremely close to Aldingbourne School only to be told it is full and so have to send your kids to Barnham School. Ok so they get on ok there but that was not the point, it was probably full of kids from the other places and if all these proposed houses are built then the same will happen constantly. The existing schools will have to have bigger classes, more of these new classroom assistants (basically doing the stuff the overworked and underpaid teacher does not have time to do anymore because there is no discipline allowed to be used these days which makes teaching very hard) and the lowering of education standards and even harder for kids with special needs and learning difficulties.

Our doctor’s surgery down at the Croft is always full and it is very difficult to get an appointment with one’s own doctor. I have lived here seventeen years and when I first went into the doctor’s surgery there were more empty chairs than patients apart from the elderly residents and the usual plethora of babies and children. Now it really is standing room only. Our doctors are wonderful but even they must be suffering from stress from having to keep to time targets and the never ceasing paperwork and budgets etc..

There will be so much pollution and smog caused by extra traffic which will worsen chest and respiratory diseases and skin problems such as eczema and hay fever and eye irritations which can lead to more serious eye conditions over time. I also feel the traffic should be directed away from the A29, why for example have we got that new road with all those other recently built houses and all the mess at the end of the A29 down near Bognor Halfords. What a mess! It would be so nice if we could have a better bus service and may be a new train station built between Bognor and Barnham, wouldn’t that be so lovely. If we could have a much improved direct bus and train service for us people here in Westergate who don’t necessarily drive and even for those who would like to reduce their carbon footprints and reduce some pollution then that would be so good. Have the greedy developers thought about that?

There will be increased flooding that will come from all those houses and extra roads. Felpham and Bognor would be underwater as well as Bersted, much more often than today.

Agree with you Mike,yes the Inspectors and Planning Officers tend to take notice of what is presented by the developers’ highly paid lawyers and Planning consultants rather than local people,who cannot be expected to have detailed modelling and Study information at their fingertips,so it is necessary to employ a (preferably local ) planner to fight the residents corner on a Planning law basis,particularly at Examinations in Public and Appeal Inquiries.
It is grossly unfair that people who live with the traffic,flooding etc. cannot have their evidence accepted.We all know that traffic jams DO go back to the Landfill entrance and the Basmati,this is not an exaggeration. There are times when the gates are closed for 15-20 minutes and only briefly open before closing again.
We also all know that thousands out commute (you did!) every day for employment and no new jobs have been created to keep up with the new housing,even ADC admit it is one of the biggest contributors to congestion in the District.
With the new Local Plan we will see more of the same unless a more radical approach is taken to integrate employment with housing and new transport options to alleviate car traffic,we are in for increased congestion and airborne pollution.
John Penfold

Having been involved first hand in the recent Woodgate Appeal (100 houses) the Appeal inspector, in his decision to dismiss the appeal made several comments as to why he made his decision. Several of these could be relevant to the current proposal and any future ones which are certain to come along in the not too distant future.
A valid point was that the ‘information’ given by those objecting was ‘anecdotal’. These involved riding bycycles on the A29, footpaths, traffic and the level crossing. What was said by protestors was I thought obviously correct from the number of things repeated by different people but it revealed the absolute necessity for some hard and fast FACTS which would arise from a proper survey/study being undertaken.
Such points as the times the level crossing gate are down taken over a period, the length of queues of vehicles in both directions were raised at the Appeal. Objectors claims of queues reaching back past the entrance to the waste plant to the south and to the Basmatti from the north were laughed at by those representing the developer who made counter claims that the gates were only closed on average for 2 minutes at a time. Had the Inspector not visited the site to see for himself how would he have known who was speaking the truth?
There must be many more issues that could be regarded as ‘standard objections’ to any large scale development in the area. The publishing of such a study(ies) would allow the points included to be raised by ARUN, the PC and objectors as matters of fact rather than ‘anecdotal’ and therefore present the evidence in far greater strength.
I have asked the Aldingbourne Parish Council if they would pay for studies to be undertaken; these could then be used in future actions. I understand this will be discussed by the Council but have heard nothing yet.

The Option 2 for Barnham,Eastergate,Westergate is unrealistic in the economic climate which is likely to prevail over the next 10 – 15 years at least. Growth will be very slow if at all.
To put 1750 houses in the Villages unless there is a major shift towards an immediate solution to the infrastucture deficit is a flawed Option which cannot be supported.
A by pass road joining the Barnham Road to replace the A29 will increase traffic along the inadequate Village’s local roads. A new Waste Water treatment Plant would be needed or connection to the Ford plant. The local schools and Doctor’s surgeries do not have the capacity.
Where is all the investment going to come from ? Not from Central Government
Not from the developers,they will have to fund the by pass and with likely lower profits on new housing due to higher energy efficiency and sustainable construction, (Code 6 ) and a restrained market there may not be enough for that.
The Option 1, a total of 150 plus 65 Villages’ allocations is far more realistic,but it must address the market for affordable homes and not provide the large ‘ executive ‘ homes which developers are so keen to provide. This may mean lower land prices in order to meet the Code 6 level and make affordable homes a viable proposition.
If the two large towns in Arun are not due for further expansion in the Local Plan period and if Government wants to see greater numbers than those proposed in Option 1,then the brownfield areas of Ford Airfield should be considered again for a small eco town rather than cram more houses into the existing villages in Arun, At the same time Government should be pressed to provide a much-needed Arundel by pass and other improvements to the A27,then a link to it from Ford would be viable.